Rage
by Celedone
Summary: Yeah, my life sucks. I've got something like a curse to handle and I don't know where it came from or what to do with it. Really, I thought things couldn't be more complicated. Of course, I was stupid. I mean, things can always become more complicated...
1. I run from my awfully hairy neighbours

Chapter 1: I run from my awfully hairy neighbours

* * *

Something was just not right. And I'm not talking about messy stuff or dirt or anything like it, even though all these things bothered me like hell.

No, there was something really _weird _with the guys who lived next door. And it's actually hard for something to be considered odd to me, since I'm not the most normal person in the world. But these guys... They just surpassed my the limits of the acceptable. Why? Well, imagine two red-haired guys with pointy yellow teeth, ridiculously hairy arms and some horrid black mischievous eyes which followed every single woman who passed by the street. Two perverted, perhaps? Possibly.

Except as far as I know perverts don't have horse tails coming out of their flanks.

Yes, I wrote that right. _Tails._

And the funny thing is it seemed it was just me who noticed these things. Really, how can people be so unbelievebly blind? Sometimes, I even believed that it was all result of my mind finally getting crushed. But hey, you can't really live thinking like that, right?

I had decided not to tell anybody about that, of course. And I'd tried to take this out of my mind, though I just couldn't help noticing them every time I went outside. Of course, that was just until the day I decided I had to go out on my own to buy some chocolate.

Ok, I know this sounds weird. I mean, a fifteen-year-old who didn't have autonomy enough to leave home on herself? Yeah. But what can I say? I have my issues. It's not like I _couldn't_ go out I wasn't forbidden. It was just that I always felt somewhat like a ticking bomb. And I didn't want to explode with other people around me.

So I watched life outside through the window of my bedroom. I longed for a normal life, where I could be a normal teenager, but I also knew that it was just impossible for me.

And yet on _that day_ I had decided to go out. On my own. Of course it was just a quick walk to the grocery on the corner of the street, but still I needed some courage. What had driven me to do so? I don't know. Maybe I was just tired of seeing everything from the oustide, like an invisible espector. Maybe I was driven by my PMS, which made me want some chocolate crazily. Or perhaps it was just fate pulling its strings. Anyway, all that matters is that I went.

At first everything went well. I bought my chocolate, causing no confusion at all - which was good considering I am a living magnet to confusion and went my way home. The problem started when I realized I was followed. By one of the creepy neighbours. I fastened my pace, trying to get home as quickly as possible. I tried not to look behind, to see if I was mistaken, if he was gone. But of course he wasn't. I could hear his constant footsteps right behind me.

_Taptap. Taptap. Taptap. Taptap._

I remember thinking that at least I had some advantage toward him, since he appeared to be lame. Then I reached my home. In the front door, the other neighbour looked at me maliciously with those beady black eyes.

I confess I panicked. I didn't want to think of what could actually happen if they actually got to me. So before I could think of anything, I ran. I ran as fast as I could, without even realizing that I could get lost in this city I knew only from my window, feeling the blood run fast and pulse strong in my body. From behind the two pairs of running footsteps got farther and farther, until they suddenly vanished completely.

I should've found it odd, I'll admit it, but I had panicked, remember? I looked back. No sign of them. I sighed in relief, while trying to recover my breath. Then I looked around, trying to recognize where I was. I was surprised to realize I _did_ know the place it was a small park where I used to spend some time with my father. We made a picnic just for the two of us while watching the boats nearby sail. It was a calming place to go and I hadn't realized how I'd missed there until that very moment.

I stopped as I recovered my breath though it had been a short run, it had been intense. I felt the marine breeze on my face, the smooth grass scent making my fear slowly go away. That was when I saw the boy. He stared at me with a curious impression, as if he'd never seen anything like a girl before. He sat in a bench on his own, a baseball bat on his lap and a cup of coffee on his hand. Our eyes locked for one second and then I abruptly flew from the ground.

I really didn't see that coming. At first, I didn't understand what had happened in one moment I was standing; on the other I saw myself literally tossed away. I tried to get up, starting to feel the pain get to the arm I'd fallen on. My head ached, my mind was a swirl. Before I could stand up though, an awfully hairy arm grabbed my hair, picking me up from the ground.

I felt my blood go cold and my whole body tremble of despair. Before me beady black malicious eyes stared as if they would rather enjoy having me for dinner. I knew I should move, I should try struggling. Yet, I was paralyzed with fear, the arms and legs gone numb. I looked behind my captor, watching as the other weird neighbour approached with a smile stamped on his face. My heart sped up as I saw his right hand holding a gag and his left, a knife. My stomach, on the other hand, revolved about three times when I looked at the guy's fisionomy and realized the horse tail was not the weirdest thing about him, considering he had furry legs that ended on monkey's feet and fangs on his mouth as well.

The horror of imagining what they might do to me overthrew the numbness and I started struggling. I tried to hit the one who held me, I tried to scream. And when I thought it was all over for me the strangest thing happened. My captor suddenly dropped me, turning to his equal agressively. None of them emitted a sound, but I could see that they were discussing heavily by the frantic way they move the arms and legs to each other.

I know I should have run then, but I was hypnotized by the scene. That was, until the mute conversation was over and they tried to kill each other.

I gaped in horror. This shouldn't be happening. This was _wrong_. Awfully wrong. I wanted desperately to be mistaken, but I'd seen the expression of both of them. I saw the uncontrollable madness, the absolute fury.

I knew they wouldn't stop until they tore each other apart.

"Hey, let's go!" a soft yet urgent voice surged to take me out of my trance.

I looked up the boy I'd seen earlier offered me his hand, the posture tense, the bat ready on his hand and the eyes alert to the struggling monsters. I gave him my hand without thinking and he grabbed me from the ground. We ran away from there, my arm around his shoulder, his arm around my waist.

We entered a residencial street and before I could protest he dragged me to one of the many houses, locking the door behind him as he entered. He sighed.

"Well, that was close..." his eyes focused on me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." I answered, a little wary about him "But I should get going. My dad's gonna get worried."

"Maybe you should stay here for a while. Until, you know, those things are definitely gone."

"No." I pursed my lips, starting to feel nervous about his presence. I mean, sooner or later he could be affected by my curse, and what would I do then? "I really have to go. _Now._"

He stood silent for a few moments, as if considering. His eyes analyzed me with some interest. Then he finally raised his hands, as if surrendering.

"Alright..." he sighed "But I think I should at least take you home..."

"No!" I protested fiercely.

"They might still be out" the boy pointed out. "There could be more of them. It's not safe to go out alone. Besides, you are hurt."

"I'm not." I said stubbornly. My arm ached, my head didn't feel right; I felt dizzy and sleepy. Well, at least I wasn't limping.

"Fine then." he didn't seem to be pleased by that. "If you are so averse to my presence." He unlocked the door and watched as I crossed it, trying not to demonstrate any weakness.

"Fine." I said, resolutely. Then my will strength flickered and I turned back to him. "By the way, thanks for helping me."

He just smiled.

I went to the street, feeling a little lighter. Yet the uneasiness soon got to me again. I once more hesitated. I looked back to the house. The guy was still there, observing me atently. I felt the nervousness tickling me.

"Is there something wrong?"

I passed my hand on my hair feeling quite uncomfortable.

"I... I may need some directions."

He smiled again and took me home.


	2. I find out I'm not the only freak

Chapter 2: I find out I'm not the only freak

* * *

By the time my father came home, I had already taken a shower, put my clothes to wash and started to cook some pasta for our dinner. I'd been feeling a little nervous about what he could think of my going out – not because he wouldn't like it, but of what he could think of the bruises I'd gained. After all, I couldn't expect him to believe such a lame excuse as "I fell on the stairs"… but I couldn't also tell him the truth.

"So you went out to buy some chocolate?" he smiled gently, his dark brown eyes smoothly lit by amusement. "I'd thought you'd never do it on your own. And you didn't have any problems with other people's temper?"

"Not really. There was just a guy who started arguing with an old lady about her shoe laces, but it wasn't a big deal."

He laughed and suddenly I felt my heart get a few pounds lighter.

Did I ever mention that my father is awesome? Well, he is. He is that kind of person with an irresistible aura – yet in a different way. He's not the kind of guy who makes everything look like much more fun, even in the worst circumstances; nor is the person with a charming smile and sexy ways that attract anyone from the opposite sex. No; he is more like the kind of person whose presence makes everything feel alright, even when it isn't. It is even funny the way he sort of absorbs other people's negative feelings, the way their anger, their sorrow, their misery goes to background when he's around.

Of course it was kind of tricky every now and then – like when he made people feel comfortable around him in order to make them tell things they wouldn't in normal situations. Hey, I said he is all nice and gentle, not that he is stupid.

"So what happened to your face?" he was all serious and worried again.

"Oh, no big deal. I just fell." I got up from the sofa trying to get rid of that part of the conversation. "I have to see if the pasta is ready."

"Does this falling of yours has anything to do with other people?" I looked back just in time to see him frowning before entering the kitchen.

"Uh, no. Why would it have anything to do with people?"

"Because it usually does."

A knock on the door cut our conversation. I reached the doorway with an interrogation expression in my face.

"Dad, are you expecting someone here?"

"No."

When I opened the door, I felt the intense urge of shutting it right away.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

Before me, there was the boy who'd helped me that same afternoon, with the same bat in one hand and another cup of coffee on the other.

"Hey," he said, "So I was there doing nothing at home when I realized we didn't introduce ourselves."

"And you came here just for that?" I couldn't believe in what he was saying.

"As I said, I was doing nothing. May I come in? I would really like to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, but I…"

"Yes, of course." Dad interrupted me, putting a hand over my shoulder and smiling softly. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"No! There's not enough food for us all!" I protested fiercely. Of course they both ignored me.

"Don't worry, Allie, I'm here. It'll be alright." Dad said as he closed the door. I'm not sure if he ever realized how wrong he was.

* * *

"Allie, huh? So your name is Alice?"

"Alicia." I corrected him.

"My name is Daniel. Daniel Zaspani. But you can call me Danny." He smiled, then sipped a little coffee. "Your dad is pretty cool, isn't he?"

I didn't answer. Not because I found him annoying, though it was exactly what I thought of him – my eyes had caught a glimpse of the weird monster-neighbours' house. I could swear there was light there, for just one moment.

Definitely not a good sign.

"So, Allie…"

"Alicia."

"… what you did back then. That was quite impressive." He paused, waiting for a response that didn't come. "To make both monsters strike each other like that… how did you do that?"

I felt startled. My attention turned to him again.

"I didn't do anything! What are you talking about?"

His expression, that had been light and cheery until then became suddenly dead serious.

"Please, don't treat me like a blind idiot. I know what I saw there, and I know that it was your doing." Before I could protest again, he quickly added "Because I can do some similar stuff. And because… Well, normal people don't see the monsters the way they are, but you do. You are like me."

"What can you do?"

"That's not important right now." He took another sip "What's important is that I have a friend who went to high school with me… Until one day he came to me saying strange things like 'I can't protect you anymore' and 'you are in your own now'. He left after that, where to I have no idea, and gave me this bat to use in case I needed. The fact is I had found it quite stupid and meaningless… Until the monsters appeared." He paused, observing me intensely. "That means he probably knew about the monsters, for he knew I would need this."

I wanted to argue, to say that it could mean just about anything but once again he didn't let me speak.

"Well, anyway. What I really wanted to say with all this is that I received this note from him yesterday." He passed it to me.

"_Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141_

_Long Island, New York 11954_

_Go there as soon as you can! It's safe!_

_- B."_

"And you're going?", I asked, frowning.

"Yes. And I think you should come too."

I laughed. I mean, that guy was _nuts_! Going to some "Camp Half-Blood", just like that, trusting only on his word and on a stupid note?

"Are you crazy?" I finally managed to say.

"Not as much as you think." The expression on his face was still absolutely serious, which made me stop laughing. At first, I was afraid he would get angry or anything like that, but when I realized it wasn't the case I relaxed. He observed me with serenity, as if he was already expecting this response of mine. When he saw I was again paying full attention to what he was about to say, he continued: "Please, listen to me. You know that you are special. Different. So does your dad, as far as I can see. I imagine you haven't had a chance for a normal life up until now, and I can guess that by only taking my own life as an example. Yet, I am giving you a chance to get out of here, to let your dad free of worries, in a place where nothing will make you any harm. Where monsters won't follow you, where you will have other people like you to support you. Have you ever considered that all the problems of your own messed up life can be affecting your dad's life negatively as well?"

"He doesn't care." I answered bitterly. I had considered this over and over, but there was nothing I could do about that, right? At least, not until then.

"Of course he doesn't. He is a nice guy. A nice father. But he is giving up many things in order to let you have a decent life, despite all odds."

He was right, of course. Yet, as tempting as his offer may have sound, there was one thing I just couldn't stand. A major thing.

"But the way you put it, the greatest problem comes from the monsters, right? Well, that doesn't work for me that way. My greatest troubles come from people. And I'm sure that this camp of yours has plenty of people." I sighed, getting up with the intention of calling up my dad, who had left us alone so that we could talk. "So the answer is no. I ain't going with you. And nothing you say will change my mind, do you understand?"

He looked atme as if he wanted to protest, but finally sighed and dropped it.

"Fine." He ended his coffee, staring at me dispirited.

Then the front door got crushed and everything changed.

The hairy guy who entered was definitely the hairiest person I've ever seen in my whole life. Seriously, what he had coming from inside his ears was actually enough to make a braid. His chest, his arms, and specially his legs were completely covered with ginger fur. But what was the scariest thing about him was not his furs, of course; nor were his sharp yellow fangs, though they actually helped.

No, it was the fact that he was so _big_ that he would have to shrink if he wanted to go through the door normally. But he didn't do it, of course. Apparently, it was much easier to just destroy the borders by brutally smashing them.

My blood got froze inside my veins again, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able of moving again when I saw a familiar face coming out from the kitchen.

"NO!" I screamed, running towards my dad. But it was too late to warn him. Before I could think of anything at all, the monster had got to him and pushed him away with a simple gesture. The next thing I heard was the sound of things crashing and falling into the kitchen. "Stupid monster!" I yelled at it, without even realizing. I know, not a very clever thing to say, but I was angry – no, I was furious. I felt bursting in flames inside, and my arms and legs suddenly acted by themselves. I grabbed the nearest thing – a chair – and with all my strength I hit the monster with it.

The wooden chair broke onto his body without making a scratch - but that didn't scare me off. I was furious, and that had made me unstoppable. The rage made me insanely mad, turning me blind.

I barely saw Daniel coming from behind the monster, attacking it with his baseball bat. I barely realized that midair the bat suddenly turned into a bronze sword, slashing the monster's arm.

It gave a mute scream as his black blood spurted. Its beady black eyes got red in fury and he turned violently towards the boy, destroying with his fists everything between them.

Daniel tried to avoid those murderous fists, making clumsy feints as he charged with the sword. I could see by his movements that he'd never faced a monster as hard to kill as this one. Soon, if he kept at it, he would probably die by the hands of the furry guy.

I should have thought of how to make a good distraction so that he could attack freely, but as I already told you before, I wasn't thinking straight. Instead, I picked the first thing that I could from near. It was the TV.

Yes, I wasn't _really_ thinking straight.

I threw it towards the monster while yelling things that I can't actually remember. Then I threw the vase. And the remote control. _And_ another vase, some cushions, pieces of broken wood from the floor.

It didn't hurt him, of course. But it seemed to piss him off. When he finally got tired of my doings, he turned to me menacingly. With a stake that once was a chair's leg I charged. I really don't know what I was intending to get with this except certain death, but it didn't really matter. Before he could kill me his chest got trespassed by a bronze sword, now tinted in black. His eyes rolled on the orbits and he once again mutely screamed.

Then he crumbled to the floor, and the strangest thing happened. Right there, before my eyes, his whole body disintegrated, turning into dust. I stood still for some good moments, staring at the floor. My blood was still pulsing, my veins were still burning in a feverish way, telling me to fight.

"Are you okay?" Daniel walked toward me, holding an injured shoulder. Then he stepped back cautiously as he saw the glare I shot him for no apparent reason. "Well, I'll go see if your dad is alright."

That disarmed me completely. I dropped the improvised stake that I didn't even consciously know I was holding and followed Daniel to the kitchen.

My father was fallen on the floor, unconscious and looking so absolutely fragile it made me want to cry. His head, his arms and probably his back were all bruised, and so I was immensely relieved when I crouched next to him. His chest was moving softly as he breathed. I grabbed his hand, with the guilt weighting on my heart. I don't know how long I stayed that way. All I know is that when I finally let go and got up I had already made my decision.

"Let's go to the damn camp then." I said to Daniel. "Call 911 while I grab my things."

"Alright." He gave me a tired smile. "But we have to pass by my place. I want to take some things. Besides, I definitely need a good cup of coffee." He yawned sonorously and by the look of his face I was afraid he would lie down and sleep right there in the middle of the kitchen. Dark circles had appeared around his eyes and his expression had become sleepy and absent.

"Ok. I guess you deserve a coffee after all."

Ten minutes later we left to never come back.


End file.
